Grid Kids

No, that's not what I mean.

 

It was just over a week ago that I reported on the removal of Walk-On Girls from certain darts tournaments and how there was pressure on F1 to scrap their Grid Girls.

 

Then, a few days later, the BBC reported on F1 scrapping their Grid Girls.

 

Today, they announced what they will have to replace them - Grid Kids!  This is a very good idea - just not one that belongs to F1.

 

Formula E, being a bit more forward thinking, has been using them for a year.  Here is Oliver Turvey, no relation to Kevin, with a Grid Kid:

These are motorsport fans being given an amazing opportunity in the same way young football fans are who get to be child mascots walking out on to the pitch with their heroes.

Unfortunately, the BBC decided to open up these stories to comments and, for some reason, the BBC News website comments mostly attract the sort of person who believes the things The Mail and Sun tell them - the highest rated comments are always ignorant claptrap.  So, after reading some of them, I need cheering up - ah, Kevin's 'Ere:

Sporty Spice

Walk-on girls in Darts are a bad thing.  They are a sexist anachronism.

Here is a nice picture of some:

Interesting camera-angle.

 

The BBC use this picture to show how awful this practice is.

 

And now I've done it too.

 

The BBC story about the Professional Darts Corporation ending the practice of pretty ladies escorting players up to the oche is here.

 

Given events over the last few months, notably the Presidents Club outrage, some broadcasters are getting nervous - probably quite rightly -  so this is a good move considering we are nearly a fifth of the way into the 21st Century.

 

The article also suggests that other sports such as boxing and motor-racing should follow suit.

 

I have touched on the subject of motorsport using attractive women, including grid-girls, myself - here three years ago.  I have no issue with using pretty people to mark out where drivers have to line up at the start of a race - but, as I said in that article, it would be better for ALL spectators if some of those people happened to be of the male gender.  formula 1 obviously took note of my post because this happened at the Monaco Grand Prix that year.

Looks like the drivers weren't that impressed but tough.  Times they are a changing, even Jeremy, James and Richard are enthusing about their latest recruit: